Bein CEO Reiterates Call for More Action on Piracy

12 Sunday, January 26, 2020 Sports beIN CEO reiterates call for more action on piracy Tribune News Network “If you look at customers, Doha whether they’re young or old, they’re accessing everything beIN Media Group CEO for nothing. Today, wherever Yousef al Obaidly has been they are, this behaviour has one of the few voices at the been completely normalised, forefront of anti-piracy fight and it’s just a habit of people England’s Mark Wood (3rd left) celebrates with teammates after the dis- across the MENA region. accessing content. And with missal of South Africa’s Temba Bavuma on the second day of their fourth Promoted to the role of the internet, it’s just going to Test at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday. (AFP) chief executive of Qatar-based continue for people to access BeIN Media Group in Novem- content for nothing, or almost ber 2018, Obaidly oversees a for free.” broadcasting powerhouse op- Obaidly also noted that ex- Wood stars as erating in 43 countries – its clusivity in the MENA region presence spans the Middle East is in short supply, but despite and North Africa (MENA), recent efforts to secure the England close in France, the USA, Canada and long-term future of its busi- 11 territories in the Asia-Pacific ness in France and elsewhere, region - and one that has spent he is quick to dismiss the no- some $15 billion on a portfolio tion that the broadcaster is on series victory of sports rights. about to pivot away from its “If we look at the things we home market any time soon. AFP have been doing in year one, “Well, I’m from Qatar, I’m Johannesburg Stokes fined for we are truly global,” noted from the Middle East, so the audible obscenity Obaidly to sportspromedia.net Middle East is always going to Mark Wood starred as Eng- which ranked him in the 2020 beIN Media Group CEO Yousef al Obaidly. be the heartbeat of our busi- land took a huge stride towards Johannesburg: England top 10 sports influencers. ness,” Obaidly says. securing a series win when they all-rounder Ben Stokes has “We are not only a MENA “We are looking to grow dominated the second day of been fined 15 per cent of his business – a lot of people across the Middle East and the fourth and final Test against match fee for swearing at a think we are sports and MENA beIN Media Group CEO Yousef al Obaidly describes Qatar as North Africa, exploit all the South Africa at the Wanderers spectator during the fourth in short, but there are a lot of having “huge, huge ambition” in sport, and is also keen to point out markets and the passion for Stadium on Saturday. Test against South Africa on things that we have been doing sport. Other markets are re- England posted a first in- Friday. The International Crick- across the globe.” that “all roads will lead to Qatar 2022”, when beIN will broadcast ally positive for us, so we will nings total of 400 before re- et Council announced the It would be fair to say, the first-ever edition of the FIFA World Cup to take place in the continue to remain global, but ducing South Africa to 88 for penalty on Saturday. Stokes though, that of the challenges the Middle East will always be six by the close. also received one demerit to which Obaidly refers, one Middle East – an event he says beIN wants to use the opportunity at the heart and the centre of Two century partnerships point for a level one breach of has been quite unlike any oth- “to bring the world to Qatar, and Qatar to the world.” everything we do.” and a boisterous last-wicket the ICC Code of Conduct. er previously confronted by a Obaidly describes Qatar as stand of 82 took England to He admitted an offence of broadcaster. having “huge, huge ambition” a total which almost certainly “use of an audible obscenity Saudi Arabia-backed piracy in sport, and is also keen to put the match beyond the during an international match” operation BeoutQ – or “one of completely unique. We have be respected”. He adds that that the pillars upon which the point out that “all roads will reach of South Africa, who and accepted the sanction the biggest issues that has faced to run a global business, and beoutQ set-top boxes “need to industry has grown in recent lead to Qatar 2022”, when need a win to level the series. suggested by ICC match our sports and entertainment you have this big thing in the be confiscated” and “those re- years are being eroded. beIN will broadcast the first- Then it was the turn of the referee Andy Pycroft. industry”, as Obaidly described background of beoutQ. I can- sponsible, including Arabsat, “I’m a true believer of that , ever edition of the FIFA World bowlers, led by Wood, as Eng- As it was Stokes’ first offence it – has been an unwelcome not think of a CEO in the in- should be held accountable”. and I was very vocal about that Cup to take place in the Middle land pushed for a third succes- in a 24-month period, he is distraction for beIN for well dustry who probably faces as However, Obaidly reveals during my speech. East – an event he said beIN sive win in a series which they still three points away from the over two years. A parasite, the many challenges as we have, that while beoutQ is now down “The endless growth of wants to use the opportunity lead 2-1. minimum number of demerit company has struggled to con- (including) the attempt of from satellites, its IPTV-en- sports rights is over – some “to bring the world to Qatar, South Africa finished the points which would bring an tain as it has slowly infected the theft of our entire busi- abled boxes – which provide rights holders might get lucky and Qatar to the world.” day still 312 runs behind, with automatic suspension. various strands of its business. ness by a state.” access to virtually every sports in some markets, but I think For now though, beIN will Quinton de Kock their only con- Stokes had an angry exchange With beoutQ chipping away beoutQ originally trans- and entertainment channel the majority of them will see a broadcast the Tokyo 2020 sistent batsman during the se- with a spectator after being at the very core of beIN’s busi- mitted ten encrypted chan- around the world – “remain decline. In certain cases rights Olympic Games and Euro ries, seeking to give the innings dismissed during the first ness, it is tempting to label nels via Riyadh-based satellite out there and still functional”. values are going to drop off 2020 in the MENA region. some respectability on Sunday. day’s play and his words were Obaidly’s job as one of the most operator Arabsat, offering ac- “Basically it’s like changing completely, and I think the There are also plans to evolve Wood made the first break- captured on television. (AFP) testing in sports broadcasting. cess to all of beIN’s premium your car from an automatic to economic model of our indus- the company’s beIN Connect through when he had Pieter Ma- “Of course, as a chief ex- sports content, ranging from manual,” he adds. try will be changed. over-the-top (OTT) stream- lan caught behind for 15. He fol- ecutive, certain hurdles will the 2018 FIFA World Cup to Last year, it was Obaidly “I always find fascinating ing offering and build on new lowed up with the wicket of the The last wicket stand prob- come your way, but you have Formula One motor racing - who famously made headlines when you go to the negotiating initiatives – namely BeIN- recalled Temba Bavuma, then ably hurt South Africa the to overcome them and you and everything in between. during a public appearance at table and people tell you, ‘we spired and the BeIN Academy finished the day on a high when most. Wood and Stuart Broad, have to fight them, and you Even now, the situation re- a sports business conference have the West Coast company – launched last year. nightwatchman Anrich Nortje batting at numbers 10 and 11, have to do what you can col- mains far from a resolution. In in London. It was then he de- and they will be very competi- Al Obaidly revealed that was caught at gully in the last hit seven sixes between them lectively with your team. I an ideal world, al Obaidly says, livered the sobering news that tive’. If we have seen it, and we “some new hires are coming over of the day. He had figures and put on 82 off only 50 balls. think, we are maturing as a beIN “should be allowed to op- “the glorious media rights bub- have seen it slightly, I think from big, big organisations” of three for 21. Sam Curran, Ben The Wood-Broad stand management team – the is- erate” in Saudi Arabia and that ble is about to burst”, telling a they will be very disappointed to join the company’s man- Stokes and Chris Woakes picked was devastating for South Af- sues we have navigated are “the rule of law should also room full of decision-makers – we’re not there yet. agement team. up a wicket each. rica as England turned a re- England’s total was built spectable total into one which around three big partnerships. by the end of the day looked The first two, 107 for the first too big for the hosts, who have wicket between Zak Crawley yet to make 300 in an innings and Dom Sibley and 101 for the in the series. Tiger, Rory struggle as Palmer grabs Torrey Pines lead fifth wicket between captain Joe South Africa’s bowling, Root and Ollie Pope, were com- with the exception of Nortje, AFP “It played a lot harder for birdies and a closing bogey. Second-ranked McIlroy, piled by recognised batsmen. was largely toothless. Los Angeles everyone than yesterday ex- “It’s exciting. I love where my who returns to the top for the cept for Ryan – he’s the only game is at and I’m excited for first time since 2015 with a Reigning Masters champion one who figured it out,” Woods the opportunity.” victory. Scoreboard Tiger Woods, chasing a record said. Woods, a 15-time major Palmer opened with back- England (1st innings; Overnight 192-4) Bowling: Philander 20-2-50-2 (2nb), Hendricks 23-3- 83rd US PGA title, and Rory Palmer shot 62 on the winner playing his first event to-back birdies, managed the Z. Crawley c Van der Dussen b Philander ��66 111-1 (2w), Nortje 24-1-110-5 (1nb, 2w), Paterson D. Sibley c De Kock b Hendricks ...... 44 20.2-3-86-2, Pretorius 11-3-34-0. McIlroy, trying to become North Course, one of two being since turning 44 last month, trick again at the fifth and J. Denly c Van der Dussen b Paterson ��27 South Africa (1st innings) world number one, struggled used on the first two days, to seeks his ninth career crown sixth holes and birdied the J. Root c De Kock b Nortje ��59 D. Elgar c Woakes b Stokes ��26 on Friday while Ryan Palmer stand on 134 and grab a two- at Torrey Pines, having won par-3 eighth as well to climb B. Stokes c Van der Dussen b Nortje ��2 P. Malan c Buttler b Wood ��15 seized the lead at the Farmers stroke lead over fellow Ameri- the 2008 US Open and seven the leaderboard. O. Pope b Nortje ��56 H. van der Dussen c Stokes b Curran ��0 J. Buttler c Elgar b Philander ��20 F. du Plessis lbw b Woakes ��3 Insurance Open. can Brandt Snedeker, who US PGA titles at the famed San On the back nine, Palm- S. Curran c De Kock b Nortje ��0 Q. de Kock ��batting 32 Woods overcame a double- fired a 67 on the South Course Diego layout. er began with back-to-back C. Woakes c Du Plessis b Nortje ��32 T. Bavuma c Stokes b Wood ��6 bogey disaster on the first hole at the San Diego layout. “I tried to ram it in the hole birdies, repeated the feat at M. Wood not out ��35 A. Nortje c Denly b Wood ��6 to shoot a one-under par 71 “It was one of those days and it bounced out,” Woods 13 and 14 and closed with S. Broad c Malan b Paterson ��43 Extras: �� 0 Extras: (lb9, nb3, w4) ��16 Total: (For 6 wkts, 41.5 overs) ��88 while McIlroy faded late to fire where I knew the scores were said. “I hit a terrible third putt. birdies at 16 and the par-5 Total: (All Out, 98.2 overs) ��400 Fall of wkts: 1-29 (Malan), 2-37 (Van der Dussen), 3-43 a one-over 73, leaving both on low, I knew I could get a nice Tiger Woods lines up a putt on the “I hit a lot of good shots. I’m 17th before his bogey at 18. Fall of wickets: 1-107 (Sibley), 2-116 (Crawley), (Elgar), 4-60 (Du Plessis), 5-74 (Bavuma), 6-88 (Nortje). four-under 140 and six adrift round in there if I could get fifth green during the third round driving the ball better, which is “I made a good 5-footer to 3-150 (Denly), 4-157 (Stokes), 5-258 (Pope), 6-269 Bowling: Broad 9-3-13-0, Curran 7-3-11-1, Woakes of Palmer’s pace after 36 holes the putter rolling and I did,” of the Farmers Insurance Open at nice. In the middle part of the save bogey. It was awesome,” (Root), 7-269 (Curran), 8-309 (Buttler), 9-318 10-5-16-1, Wood 8.5-1-21-3, Stokes 7-1-27-1. (Woakes). Toss: England. at Torrey Pines. Palmer said after firing 10 Torrey Pines on Saturday. (AFP) round I made those putts.” Palmer said. Longines Global Champions Tour & GCL 2020 season calendar announced

calendar for 2020 featuring 2020 focusing on digital and The LGC Tour will kick-off with a The 2020 LGCT some of the world’s greatest broadcast coverage including and GCL Calendar cities and iconic destinations. CNN and Eurosport, and other spectacular curtain-raiser in Qatar We are committed to growing TV channels around the world. Doha: 5-7 March; Mexico City: 26-29 our sport with our new partner During the regular sea- Tribune News Service LGCT series and the GCL March; Miami Beach: 2-4 April; Tennor and to attracting new son last year, Great Britain’s Doha team championship races will Shanghai: 8-10 May; Madrid: 15-17 audiences on digital and TV to Ben Maher and Explosion W again span continents from May; Hamburg: 20-24 May; show jumping. The competi- dominated the LGCT champi- The countdown is on to the Middle East to The Ameri- Ramatuelle/Saint Tropez: 28-30 May; tiveness of teams and individ- onship again and were pivotal the launch of the Longines cas before moving to Asia and Cannes: 4-6 June; Stockholm: 11-14 ual riders through the season to the second consecutive vic- Global Champions Tour and Europe cementing the circuit’s June; Cascais, Estoril: 18-20 June; will no doubt be as intense as tory of the GCL team London GCL 2020 season with the powerful global footprint. Monaco: 25-27 June; Paris: 3-5 July; ever in the race to the Finals Knights. At the GC Prague spectacular curtain raiser in The opening leg in 2020 Berlin: 24-26 July; London: 14-16 and the Playoffs where record Playoffs Maher rounded off Doha, Qatar, kicking off in will take place from 5-7 March August; Valkenswaard: 20-23 August; prize money will be on offer.” his dream season by winning under six weeks. at the stunning Al Shaqab in Equestrian’s most prestigious competition will return for 2020 with Rome: 3-6 September; New York: Millions of fans followed the LGCT Super Grand Prix The LGCT and GCL global Qatar’s capital, Doha. The high the first leg in Doha taking place from March 5 to at Al Shaqab. 25-27 September; Prague: 19-22 the LGCT and GCL season in and Shanghai Swans came to circuit has continued to take profile first event at this world November. 2019 as sporting excellence the fore after a tough series of the sport of show jumping to class equestrian facility will en- All season riders will be agers and riders to deliver reached new levels with the qualifying rounds to take the new heights and once again sure an exciting kick off to the battling to secure their golden maximum performance to put nounced earlier this month world’s best riders and horses title in the final of the thrilling fans worldwide will be able to new LGCT and GCL season. ticket for a coveted spot in them in a strong position for as part of plans to accelerate guaranteed at every event. GCL Super Cup. enjoy thrilling competitions The race to the season the ultimate individual show- the high pressure knockout future expansion on the back Fans watched live at the ven- Title Partner and Official across a total of 18 events at championship in this Olym- down, the Longines Global stages of the GCL Super Cup at of the growing popularity of ues or on GCTV live stream- Timekeeper Longines will the highest level building up to pic year will take horses, rid- Champions Tour Super Grand the O2 Arena in Prague. show jumping. ing, as well as following all the once again have a strong pres- the Finals in New York and the ers and spectators around the Prix at the GC Prague Playoffs. A new partnership with Jan Tops, President of excitement on social media. ence throughout the 2020 sea- Playoffs in Prague. globe to 18 major cities and And motivation will be high global investment holding LGCT and GCL said: “We are The series will aim to expand son continuing the long-term In 2020 the individual key locations. among team owners, man- company Tennor was an- delighted to announce our its audience further during partnership.